Most Security Pros Say Managing Identity Has Become A Major Challenge
SC Media, Wednesday, May 6th, 2026
89% of cybersecurity leaders surveyed report managing identity footprint as a major challenge, with 96% citing disconnected security tools.
A Keeper Security survey of 3,200 cybersecurity and IT leaders found that 89% consider managing growing identity footprints a major challenge, while 96% report that disconnected and poorly integrated security tools create exploitable gaps. The research revealed that 72% of organizations cannot detect credential misuse in real time, often taking hours or weeks to identify unauthorized access.
The report highlights critical gaps in privilege management, with 64% lacking fully consolidated privileged access governance, and emphasizes that identity has become enterprise infrastructure requiring unified governance across both human and non-human identities.
Security experts recommend consolidating identity authority into a single control plane, implementing proper privilege management for AI agents and automation, and closing detection gaps through integrated monitoring and Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) systems.